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I think very highly of Zay Jones, Chris Godwin, Juju Smith, and Evan Engram, but Kupp is my pick if we go WR somewhere in the second or third round. Why? There are three things I want to highlight: 1) production, 2) physical talent, and 3) technical skill.
Production
Kupp's Career Stats
Four-year starter (52 games)
428 catches
6464 receiving yards
15.1 yards per catch
73 receiving TDs
*Holds every career receiving record across all divisions of college football
Kupp's Per Season Averages Over His Career
107 catches
1616 receiving yards
18 receiving TDs
Kupp's Career Production vs. the Pac-12
4 games (Oregon, Washington*, Oregon State, and Washington State)
40 catches
716 receiving yards
11 receiving TDs
*Against Washington as a sophomore, Kupp posted 8 catches for 145 yards and 3 TDs. His three TDs were a 7 yard TD against Marcus Peters in zone coverage, a 41 yard TD against Marcus Peters in man coverage, and a 26 yard TD against Bubba Baker in man coverage. Peters is one of the NFL's best CBs. Baker is a projected late-first to mid-second round pick this year.
Physical Talent
This is where you might see people knock Kupp. Kupp measured in around 6'2" 205 at the NFL Combine. He posted a 4.62 40 yard dash, a 31 inch vertical jump, a 9'07" broad jump, a 4.08 short shuttle, and a 6.75 three cone drill. His 40 and jumps were below average at best. People will latch onto those, but the agility drills are what should stand out. They match the tape. Kupp's quickness, change of direction ability, burst off the LOS, and fluid hips all stand out as special attributes on tape. The Patriots are known for putting a heavy emphasis on the three cone drill. There are not many 6'2" WRs who move like Kupp does. It makes it very difficult for CBs to stay in his hip pocket.
Technical Skill
Kupp's father played QB in the NFL and his grandfather played OG. You can definitely tell that he was the kid of a pro QB. He's a well-schooled player who's technical skills are beyond advanced for his age. As a route runner, Kupp changes speeds to keep CBs on their toes and earn him separation on deep routes. He understands how to use leverage, subtle fakes, and body control to tilt CBs to gain extra separation out of his breaks. He displays tremendous body control and balance throughout his routes using his phenomenal agility and cutting ability to separate at all levels of the field. You can also tell that he studies his opponent's and understands how to attack each player he lines up against. When he comes out of his break, he works aggressively back to the QB to cut off defenders paths to the football. And even when he isn't the primary receiver, he runs his route in such a way to draw defenders away from the primary read and is always ready to find open spaces when his QB scrambles. He's absolutely lethal against zone coverage because of his football IQ, fearlessness, and quickness. He finds the soft spots of the zone quickly, settles, and makes catches in traffic with no regard for his safety. His releases against press coverage are also gorgeous. His footwork and hand usage are textbook, and his quickness/burst make it absolutely unfair at times. He embarrassed Oregon's CBs in 2015 when they tried to press him in the red-zone.
That all said, I don't even think route running is his best skill. His best skill is his ability to catch the football. Kupp's grip strength and hand technique are both outstanding. He snatches the ball away from his frame when the situation calls for it, he bodies it when the situation calls for it, and he attacks the ball in the air when the situation calls for it. He also tracks the ball over his shoulder with ease. Kupp is the type of player who makes the hard catches look so easy that you want to call it a drop when he actually fails to make one. He has a large catch radius, rarely ever drops the football, and can be counted on to come down with the ball when bodies are around him.
Oddly enough, Larry Fitzgerald is the name that keeps coming to mind for me when I watch Kupp. It's not because they have similar body types or the same style of play. Kupp isn't the dominant 50-50 ball WR that Larry is. It's because Kupp, like Fitzgerald, makes playing WR look easy despite not having vertical speed. He catches anything and everything you throw his way. He always seems to find a way to be open no matter the coverage when you need him. And even when he isn't open, he finds a way to make a key catch if you throw it his way. Kupp isn't Larry Fitzgerald, but he has that same sort of naturalness to his game. Whether he's in the slot, at split end, or at flanker, he's going to find a way to be an absolute headache for the opposition. In 52 games as a starter, Kupp was held under 50 receiving yards only twice during his career. Simply put, nobody could figure out how to stop the guy. I expect him to continue to produce on Sundays.
